St Kilda have had a successful trip to the AFL Tribunal after they contested the suspension handed down to Anthony Caminiti for his strike on Hawthorn's James Sicily during Sunday's match at Marvel Stadium.
The Sporting News has all the details on how the Saints overturned the ban.
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St Kilda star Anthony Caminiti successfully appeals striking charge at AFL Tribunal
Caminiti was offered a one-match suspension for striking (second offence) Sicily during the third quarter of St Kilda's 29-point win against Hawthorn.
The incident was assessed as intentional conduct, low impact and high contact, with the gradings equating to a single game ban.
Anthony Caminiti has been handed a one-match suspension for striking.
— AFL (@AFL) July 31, 2023
Full MRO findings: https://t.co/PFndojzmah pic.twitter.com/WDviTukpex
However, the Saints decided to contest the charge and argued that the strike wasn't an intentional act but rather an accidental fend which went wrong.
The AFL Tribunal agreed with this assertion when the key forward's charge was downgraded to careless which resulted in a fine.
"My intention was just to push him away around the shoulder region, just to create some space and get myself back off the mark," Caminiti explained during his defence.
"My intention was to never hit him high."
The Tribunal responded with their findings that Caminiti's evidence was satisfactory, and they believed his conduct was simply careless.
"His evidence is consistent with the vision when examined from different angles and also at a slower speed," the Tribunal noted.
"The vision and the still images capture the following: Caminiti using an open hand, his arm moving in a downward direction, initial contact to Sicily’s shoulder, open fingers at the neck area of Sicily.
"The presentation of his fingers is consistent with an attempt to fend off or push his opponent."
What happened between Caminiti and Sicily?
After taking a mark in front of Sicily during the third quarter, Caminiti appeared to fling his arm in the direction of the Hawthorn star, making contact with the head.
Sicily immediately went to ground with Hawthorn players coming in to remonstrate.
The umpire reversed the mark and awarded a free kick to Sicily for Caminiti making high contact.
Sicily was fine to take the free kick and wasn't given a concussion test after the incident.
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Would Caminiti's absence hurt St Kilda?
With the absence of Max King, Tim Membrey and Jack Hayes, Caminiti has been the Saints only true key forward, with support coming from Mitch Owens and Mattaes Phillipou in the air.
While King is a chance to return from injury, Caminiti's presence will be missed, with the 19-year-old kicking 19 goals in 16 games during his debut season.
If Caminiti is out and King fails to prove his fitness, it's likely Zaine Cordy will spearhead the Saints attack against Carlton in a crucial game at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
How did Caminiti's get his AFL career going at the Saints?
After being undrafted in 2022, Caminiti became a train-on player at Carlton, impressing in contests against Blues defender Jacob Weitering.
Carlton forward Jack Silvagni mentioned to his father - St Kilda recruiting boss Stephen Silvagni - that Caminiti looked like a potential AFL quality player.
The Saints invited Caminiti down to train with the club and after one training session he was snapped up by the club and told he was making his debut against Fremantle in round one.
Since, Caminiti signed a three-year deal in May after his dream start to the season.
